Ice Cream Truck
by CapAleran2
Summary: AU Prompt: Ice Cream Truck. Bulma makes Vegeta help her serve ice cream treats from a refrigerated truck. First time writing for this particular fandom...


**ICE CREAM TRUCK** (AU prompt)

* * *

The happy, upbeat tune began playing through the refrigerated truck's speakers as it drove down the street. It was a hot afternoon; it felt as though the sun was baking the shriveling leaves on the trees and the pavement was akin to lava. The heat coupled with the non-existent breeze all but forced the neighborhood kids inside to play video games or watch tv in the air conditioning.

Something -as much as he disliked the thought- that Vegeta greatly wished he could be doing.

It would be better than his girlfriend's idea of fun for the children. Instead, he was stuck wearing a ridiculous costume. He looked like Mario after obtaining the fire flower. Hat and all. If only he could throw fireballs.

"This is retarded," he grumbled from the front passenger seat, arms crossed over his chest as if in effort to hide his clothing.

"Nah, don't say that. This is great," Bulma said with a giddiness. She turned the truck down another street from the intersection. "It was my father's idea, ya know. A sort of give-back to the community!"

Vegeta deepened his scowl and turned his head slightly as it rested on the headrest. "If he came up with this crap, he should be the one to do it."

Bulma's smile faltered. "Well he's busy," she snapped. She quickly glanced at him, giving him a glare. Then her smile slowly returned as she said, "So shut up, and turn that frown upside down!"

A groan slowly breathed out of his throat as he gazed out of the passenger window. There were better things he could be doing. Like training at the gym or working on his truck. Something manly. Something where he could get dirty and not have to concern himself with everyday idiots.

"At least tell me how long we have to drive around in this rust buck-"

Bulma's expression brightened upon seeing potential customers nearing the curb. "Ohh, Vegeta look at them! So cute!"

Vegeta reluctantly turned his head the other direction, lifting it off the headrest. A few children stood on the sidewalk, waving their arms with smiles on their faces. It wasn't that he was bad with children. It was that he didn't know how to interact.

The truck came to a stop before the tiny group. "Vegeta, get in the back!" she hissed as she put the gear in park and shut off the music-box type of tune. She put on her sweet public face and greeted the children's mother with the grace of a professional businesswoman.

Doing as he was told, the stout man slid his way to the back of the truck. "The money better be worth it…" he breathed under his breath. He opened the rolling siding to reveal a glassless window. Below the window was a large cooler filled with ice cream. Sandwiches, packaged cones, some shaped like cartoon characters. And ice cream he had to scoop.

And then he was looking down, face to face, with three children.

They had innocently arranged themselves tallest to shortest. The tallest one looked to be about ten years old with a shaggy mess of brown hair and freckles. The middle child was a girl with braids and glasses. She held the hand of the shortest and probably the youngest. The boy had lighter hair and he only wore shorts. Vegeta looked on in disgust as he wiped his nose on his hand.

"What do you want," Vegeta stated in a monotone voice.

The oldest boy stared up at him. His eyes squinted. Vegeta's heart began to beat just a little bit faster. Why weren't any of them saying anything? The eye contact was a little intense. A little eerie. Shifting uneasily, the man crossed his arms over his chest. What was with this kid?

"I don't know. What do you got?" The boy finally answered.

Huh? Was the menu stamped on Vegeta's forehead or what? He frowned. "Just look at the menu."

"Where?"

Taking a shallow breath, Vegeta nodded his head once downward. "It's on the side of the truck."

The girl piped up then. "Why don't you just tell us?"

Vegeta felt his patience start to drain from its full tank. He fought the urge to snap his words at her. "What am I, your father? There's pictures."

Her green eyes fell from his frowning face to the truck's siding where all of the tasty treats were displayed. She asked the littlest boy what he wanted from the nice ice cream man. Her eyes flickered to him then, as if she hoped he was nice.

The dark-haired oldest boy finally pointed to a picture. "I want the Spongebob."

Stifling a sigh, he opened the freezer. The appropriate storage basket was empty. "Sorry we're out," he replied flatly.

"Did you even look?"

Vegeta's teeth sunk down into his tongue. The nerve this kid had to question him. An elder. "I did. We're out," he said again with a slight edge.

The boy squinted. "Then I'll take the scooby-doo."

Vegeta reached into the basket and tossed the kid the frozen treat. "That's two bucks," he casually said. He waited for the boy to hand over the cash with a stern expression. As if he would run away without payment.

With the first payment taken, he turned his attention to the other two and focused his piercing gaze on them expectantly. The girl just stood there looking blankly at the pictures.

"Umm…" she hummed. She opened her mouth to speak, in which Vegeta's hopes in finally being able to sit down in front of the air conditioning rose. And then no words came out. She picked up one braid off her shoulder and put the tip in her mouth.

"Just. Pick." Vegeta's tone was clipped. His hands moved from the white apron at his waist to the edge of the freezer to lean on it.

"What would you get?" she asked and fixed her glasses further up on her nose.

"Nothing."

"But what would you want?"

His patience was dwindling. The level of indecisiveness was sickening. "I'm not the one about to fu- eat it. Just pick something."

His eyes widened as he caught himself about to swear in front of them. He was sure their mother would not appreciate that. Not to mention that Bulma would probably make him serve every customer that came to their truck after an incident like that.

The girl spit out her braid and cocked her head to the side as she locked sights with him. "How do I know you aren't gonna just say you don't have something if I ask for it?"

Vegeta's brow rose and then came together. This little girl was smart. Even if he had done what she accused him of doing, it was impressive that she'd even think that about a stranger. She was perceptive then. It was probably having to contend with her brother every day. The four-eyed freckled peach had learned tact.

Vegeta sighed. "I just wanna sit down. Tell me what you want and leave."

She smiled. "Ok. I want the ice cream sandwich."

Vegeta all but threw the packaged sandwich at her. Then he held his hand out for the money exchange. "That's three fifty."

"Vegeta?" Bulma neared the back of the truck from the front. "How's it going?"

He made a sound with his mouth in response. He waited for the smallest child to speak up, but he never did. The kid just kept staring at whatever his eyes landed on, nose dripping. When his sister asked him what he wanted, the little boy shook his head no.

Bulma came up beside him and noticed only two of them were eating ice cream, now wandering away from the truck. "He didn't want anything?"

"Guess not. Oh well," Vegeta replied.

He began to shut the sliding metal window. Once it was shut, the two of them stood together in the dim lighting. Bulma's eyes narrowed at him. Her tone was like daggers. "What did you do."

"Nothing." Vegeta looked straight into her eyes as he said it. He could never lie to her. And she knew it.

"What did you say to them? Were you rude?" Bulma accused him, putting her pointer finger close to his face. She shook it a few times, making him lean away to avoid her directly touching him.

He scowled, his lips turning down at the corners. "I wasn't rude, woman. They got their ice cream, now let's get this bitch rolling." His hand lifted in the air at his side to indicate to the truck they currently stood in.

Bulma narrowed her eyes. She knew he was lying. "You can't talk to the children like that, Vegeta."

"Then you deal with them and I'll drive." Vegeta's scowl deepened further, He leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders, and moved her so he could walk around her to return to the front. Instead of choosing the passenger seat, he ducked to the left to sit behind the wheel.

She let him go, her hand coming to where his hand had been on her shoulder. She took a breath and shook her head once. "Alright, fine…"

Bulma plopped down where he had been sitting prior to their first stop. She adjusted the air vents so the cold air hit her neck, now ready to move onward.

"Achem…"

Bulma glanced at Vegeta. He tapped at the seat belt already clicked in around him as he stared at her. His other hand gripped the wheel. As soon as she strapped in, his fingers moved to the dashboard. With no emotion whatsoever, he flipped the on the switch and the happy tune once again began to play out of the overhead speakers.


End file.
